Flushing-tank.



' No. 758,396! PATENTBD APR. 26, 1904..

' B. WALKER, JR.

'FLUSHING TANK.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 17.1903.

110 MODEL.

I nv VENTOH jenjamn 3625:6211:

vide a tank pivoted at one end and spring supported at its opposite end and a slidewater-inlet valve controlled by the action of UNITED} STATES Patented April 26, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

BENJAMIN WALKER, JR, OF'AUSTIN,

FLusHme- ANK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of L'etters iatent No. 758,396, dated .Apri1'26, 1904. Application filed June 1'7, 1903. Serial No 161,831. (No model.) i

To all whom, it may concern.-

Austin, in the county of Travis and State of Texas, have invented a new and Improved Flushing-Tank, of which the following is a foil, clear, and exact description.

The purpose of the invention is to construct a tank for flushing water-closets provided with means whereby the water-supply to the tank is automatically controlled without the use of a float, thus obviating corrosions and other wellknown causes that tend to leakage wherever float-valves are employed.

Another featureof the invention is to prothe tank in rising and falling on its hinged or plvoted support, whereby as the. water for flushing purposes leaves the tankthe tank will be raised upon its hinge or pivotal support, due to the action of the opposing spring, 1 which action is a lifting one, and'whereby as the hinge-controlled end of the tank rises it acts to automatically open the water supply 0r inlet valve, which valve is likewise automatically closed, as the tank when properly charged with water settles to its normal position.

Another purpose of the invention is to provide a siphon-controlled water-outlet and means for operating the siphon from the exterior of the tank.

The invention consists in the novel construetion and combination of the several'parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed out in the claim.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification,

in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure is a perspective view of the improved tank, its supports, and water inlet and outlet connections, the parts being in their normal position and a portion of the front of the tank being broken away. Fig. 2 is asectiona-l view through a part of the bottom of the tank, a vertical sectional view of a portion of the siphomand a side elevation of a part of the flushing-tube, and a sectional side elevation' of the connection between the flushingtube and the siphon; and Fig. 3 is a central vertical section through the water-inlet valve located within the tank.

A represents a tank of the customary construction or of any approved construction, and B and B represent two bracket-supports for the tank, adapted for engagement with a wall or other support. The bracket-support B is provided with standards 10 at suitable intervals apart, and at the front andrear of the tank A'at one end trunnions 1i areformed, and these trunnions are mounted to turn in the standards 10, whereby this end of the said tank A has a hinge or pivotal support. At

the opposite end of the tank an outwardly-extending arm 12 is secured, 'and this arm normally restsupon the upper free member 13 of a substantially Ll-shaped spring C, the opposing member 14 whereof lies longitudinally of the upper face of, the bracket and is attached thereto in any suitable or approved manner This'spring O is of such tension that as the tank is emptied or practically emptied of water the free member 13 of the spring forces this free end of the tank upward on its hinge-support at its opposite end, and as soon as the tank has received its proper quantity of water the weight of the water in the tank overcomes the tension of the spring 0 and the tank settles to its normal or horizontal position. (Illustrated in Fig. l.)

A water-supply pipe 15 is carried in any suitable or approved manner to a point at or near the top of the tank, and from the upper end of the water-supply pipe 15 a horizontal arm 16 is carried over the said tank'to a point in verticalalinement with a portion in its interior, and the. said branch pipe 16 is attached in any approved manner to a valve-casing 17, having ano zie-outlet 18 at one end. At the inner end of this nozzle-outlet 18, as is shown in Fig. 3, a valvefseat 19: is formed, against which a valve-head 20 normally bears, closing communication at such time between the body of the valve-casing and the outlet 18. The val ve-head 20 is provided with an attached or integral stem 21, which passes out through an end of the valve-casing and has free sliding movement in the said valve-casing.

A connecting-rod 22 is pivotally attached to the outer end of the valvestem- 21, as is shown in Fig. 1, while the opposite or outer end of the connecting-rod 22 is pivotally attached to a bracket 23, located at the pivotally-supported end of the tank, preferably at the upper edge of said end portion, as is also illustrated in Fig. 1. Preferably in the construction of the valve-casing it comprises, two sections, as is shown in Fig. 3namely, a body-section and an outlet-sectioncarrying the nozzle and the valve-seat, which outletsection has a screw connection with the bodysection.

A siphon D is employed as an outlet for the water in the tank. The lower end of this siphon is normally seated in a cup 25', provided with a shank v2 1, threaded so that it can be screwed into a suitable opening in the bottom (0 of the tank, and the said shank of the cup has an upper flange 26 formed thereon, which engages with the upper surface of the bottom of the tank. The shank of the cup is held in position by a suitable washer and locknut 28, as is shown in Fig. 2. At the lower end of the upright member of the siphon D a horizontal flange 29 is formed, and in the normal position of the siphon D this flange 29 effectual 1y closes the upper end of the cup 25, as is best shown in Fig. 2. The upper portion of the siphon has a chain 30 attached to it, and this chain is likewise attached to the inner end of a lever 31, fulcrumed upon a bracket 32, extending ordinarily from the inner face of the pivoted or hinged end of the tank A, the fulcrum of the said lever 31 being about midway between its center, and a chain 33 or its equivalent is attached to the outer end of the lever 31 and is carried downward within convenient reach from the floor or from the closet in connection with which the flushing-tank is employed.

The flushing-tube 34 or the tube which is to carry the flushing-water to the bowl of the closet is made of a pliable or elastic material,

such as rubber, so as not to interfere with the rise and fall of the tank A, and the upper end of the said flushing-tube 34: is shown atv tached to the lower or plain portion 27 of the shank 24: of the cup 25 by means of a clamp 35, as is illustrated in Fig. 2.

In operation when the lever 31 is drawn downward at its outer end the. siphon D is raised and the water from the tank enters the "cup 25 and through the cup the flushing-tube 34:, thus creating a suction which starts the water in the siphon D, thereby continuing the supply of water to the flushing tube through the siphon when the lever 31 is released and the siphon is again seated in the cup 25. As the water passes out'of the tank through the flushing-tube 34: the spring C as-' serts itself and raises the free end of the tank A in proportion to the amount of-water which flows. out therefrom, and as this end of the tank is carried upward the connecting-rod 22 is drawn in direction of the pivoted end of the tank, the valve-casing 17 being stationary, and consequently the valve-head 20 is unseated, and the water from the inlet-pipe 15 and its branch 16 will flow through the outlet 18. of the valve-casing andinto the tank.

Prior to the water entering the tank through the valve-casing 17 the siphonage will have been broken, and the air within the siphon will prevent the incoming water from flowing through the siphon until the air seal is again broken by lifting the siphon upward, and when theproper amount of water has flowed into the tank the weight of the water in the tank will cause it to be restored to its normal horizontal position, thus automatically closing the valve 20 against its seat 19 and shutting off any further water-supply at that time.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- A flushing-tank having a pivotal or hinged support at one end and a spring-support at the opposite end, which spring-support tends to raise the end carried thereby,-a,watersup ply pipe, an inlet-valve attached to the supply-pipe, the stem of the valve having sliding movement in the casing of the valve, a connecting-rod pivotally attached to the valvestem and to the hinged or pivotally-supported end of the tank, a cup located at the bottom portion of the tank within the stem, having a shank extending through the bottom, a flexible flushing-tube connected withthe shank of the said cup, a siphon loosely mounted in the cup, having a flange which normally closes the said cup, and means for operating the said siphon from the exterior of the tank, as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

BENJAMIN WALKER, JR.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM J. TQDNER, BEN WALKER. 

